A Glow-in-the-Dark UV Paint Job For Nissan's New Leaf Car

Would you drive a glow-in-the-dark car? That's the question posed by Nissan's latest Leaf, complete with a UV paint job that lets it soak up the sun's rays for an eerie green late night glow.

The electric car from the Japanese manufacturer has been coated in a UV-absorbing paint known as "Starpath", applied by spraying and charged up by sunlight during the day. The secret coating formula makes use of rare earth materials including Strontium Aluminate, allowing it to glow for between eight and ten hours once the sun goes down.

Starpath itself is the invention of Surrey-based Hamish Scott, who is already applying the coating to cycle paths in a trial scheme.

While the glow-in-the-dark coating is unlikely to be an option off the production line from Nissan due to the relative rarity of the materials it uses, it's a nifty idea that could be particularly useful on dark country lanes. Would definitely make you a target for UFO abductions though. [Nissan]